Step One: Remove the label from the bottom of the box: i.e. the label that will not come off no matter how carefully you try to take it off! I use an emery board to sand down what’s left of those labels, once I can’t get any more off with my fingernails. High tech, I know!

No need to paint the lid all the way, as we’ll be covering it up with a vintage seed packet image.

Let dry.

Step Three: Paint the side and outer top edges of each box lid with a matching glitter paint. I used gold glitter paint on the light blue box, blue glitter paint on the darker blue box, and purple glitter paint on the purple box. Just one coat is needed for some extra sparkle! Let dry.

Step Four: Take your boxes (minus the lids) and dry brush some metallic paint onto various spots. I used silver and gold paint on the two blue boxes, and silver and bronze paint on the purple box.

To dry brush – dip your paint brush into the paint, remove most of it onto a paper towel, and then gently paint little strokes and dabs. You want hardly any paint at all on the brush, as you gradually build up color where you want it.

Let dry.

Here’s what the boxes look like so far, with their painted and glittered lids, and the painted sides . . .

Step Five: Print out your vintage images onto paper of your choice. I used a medium-weight cardstock that had a slight texture.

Note: Depending on where you get your images from, you will need to play around with the sizing a bit when printing out, in order to make the images cover most of the box lid.

Step Six: Spray both sides of each image with acrylic sealer and let dry.

Step Seven: Eyeball where you want your images to be, then trace the lid over each image. Cut out the circles slowly – about 1/4″ (inches) inside the circle you traced – with sharp scissors.

Step Eight: Distress the edges of each circle. You can do this step in many ways, using the emery board mentioned above, or a sanding block.

I use a little tool that has become one of my favorites: the Tim Holtz Paper Distresser! It has seriously changed my life. Ok, too dramatic. It can (and does) change the look of paper easily. Love, love, love!

Step Nine:Decoupage the images onto each box lid, using antique Mod Podge. Set aside to dry.

Here’s what they look like so far . . .

You could leave your boxes like this, as they have a nice subtle sparkle around the outside edge of each vintage seed packet image, but I like to take it a step further just to give them a more finished look.

Step Ten: Outline the edges of each image on top of the box with matching glitter glue.

I love using Stickles glitter glue for this purpose because of the tiny applicator tips which make it easy to apply tiny lines of glitter exactly where you need them.

Let dry. And that’s it!

Here’s a couple of “up close” shots so you can see the glitter and paint details . . .

Asters vintage seed packet paper maché box . . .

Pansies vintage seed packet paper maché box . . .

Roses vintage seed packet paper maché box . . .

I love how well these boxes match with my inspiration pieces . . .

Any gardener would love receiving one of these as a gift. You could put a little sweet something inside each one, maybe a small sample size of luxuriously moisturizing hand lotion, as we gardeners need to pamper our hands!

Thanks Jeanette for the awesome idea to use manly colors for men’s gifts! And thank you for sharing, too! 🙂

Pet Scribbles is where I share my craft tutorials, home and garden projects, and occasional stories about my cats. I can never have enough pretty craft paints to work with, and I love to make things look time-worn with distressing and aging. Gardening is my therapy!

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